PART: 1
"Hey". A gentle voice whispered into Aki's ear, stirring him awake, " today's the day, remember ?". He slowly opened his eyes, making out the face on his bedside "
"Chloe"
He pushed himself upright, turning to focus on her, " what's up ?".
"Seriously ?" Chloe scoffed
"There's no way you forgot what today is, it's your first day, At the Academy ".
Feigning surprise, he covered his mouth." Oh no, is this the end of the world ?".
He got off the bed, caught Chloe's wrist and started pulling her towards the door.
"What are you doing ? " Chloe asked, confused.
Aki tilted his head, looking at her with exaggerated innocence, "holding my older sister's hand, why ?"
"Unbelievable " she sighed, allowing herself to be dragged down to the kitchen.
"Morning my sweethearts " greeted their mom, Maria who was seated at the head of the table, working on her tablet.
"Morning mom" the two echoed each other, before moving to sit on opposite sides of the table".
"So" Maria said, placing her tablet on the table and looking at the both of them," Are you two ready ?".
Aki nodded, getting up and heading to the fridge for a simple breakfast of an apple and a glass of milk.
"Im ready, sis?"
"Same" Chloe said, then, she got up and raised her hands," Ragnar, come out"
At those words, a small red eyed white fox materialized in her hands.
"Miss chloe, may I assist you ?" The fox questioned
"Do you want to come with me to my academy?" She asked, her eyes shining with hope. But, Ragnar refused," I apologize, miss Chloe, the only one i can accompany is my master". With that, Ragnar Disappeared and reappeared on Aki's shoulder.
Aki chuckled, walking away, " I'm going to get ready". With that he left the kitchen.
An hour later, he reappeared in the living room, wearing a white tailored blazer and Grey pants.
"Young master, you look adorable in that uniform " an elderly voice cooed.
He blushed at the compliment, scratching his head,"wouldn't handsome fit me better, nanny ?"
"Yes, of course" she chuckled, leaning closer," young miss asked me to tie up your hair, to make you more, presentable".
Before he could protest, the nanny had already grabbed and tied his hair into a ponytail. "I hate ponytails" he pouted, walking out the door of the estate, and heading for the main gate.
As he walked past the long garden, he summoned Ragnar, the two of them chatting briefly before a voice called out from behind, " Young master, please wait". Aki halted, turning around to see a man sprinting towards them, clearly out of breath,"Young master" the man greeted, kneeling before Aki," Madam asked me to drive you to central academy, so please, follow me".
"No, it's fine, I plan on walking today" Aki declared, waving his hand dismissively.
But the man insisted, "I'm afraid that cannot happen, Young master, if i allow you, I would be putting my work, and potentially life at risk ".
"Aargh, fine" Aki exasperated, " how about we simply walk then, you're still escorting me that way, right ?"
The man, relieved, quickly nods and urges, " may we be on our way ?"
With that, they walk out of the estate gates and head out into the city, in the bustling city, neon lights-traffic- and the rush of everyday life hits Aki".
"Everything out here is, vibrant, full of life" , he thought, looking up at the clear blue sky .
"It makes me feel out of place, don't you think, Phineas ?"
Sensing his change in mood, Phineas, the assistant quickly coaxed, "Young master, there's no need to feel that way, dark times never last, and when they end, it's good to connect, so you must use this chance, to feel welcome, to feel like you belong".
At those words, he smiled a genuine smile, "Thanks".
On the other side of the city, sat Central academy, a prestigious Academy of the elite, and inside, was a whirlwind of whispers and gossip, "Did you hear ?" one student whispered, "I heard someone from an elite family is coming to our academy " another student whispered
"Class president, are the rumors true ?" , one student asked, a blonde boy with green eyes turned to the student who asked the question, "Gossiping about others, what a pathetic display, why not focus on studying instead of this, anyways, can't you all just wait until you see the person instead of setting up yourselves for disappointment ?". With that he walked away, earning a few mocking glances. Then, the intercom crackled before a man's voice came through, "All students are expected in the auditorium in 5 minutes ".
A few minutes later, the auditorium was packed with students, their gossip and whispers continuing.
"Quiet down " A commanding voice shouted from the podium, silencing the room in an instant.
"Now then, good morning students, As some of you may have heard, we have a special student coming to join our Academy ". He turned towards the screen behind him, which had just turned on, and was displaying a symbol, " This is the Hoshino family crest" he declared, scanning the audience, "I'm sure you understand what I'm trying to tell you".
The students turned to each other, the whispers resuming, some kept quiet, understanding dawning on their faces.
"Grandmaster " A voice called out, along with a hand shooting up, pulling the Grandmaster and everyone's attention towards the student in the crowd," Did you call us here to demand respect, or is there something else ?".
"Oh" the Grandmaster sneered," what's do you think ? But, yes there is a reason why. You see, " he said, his expression turning serious, "We have received explicit instructions, to treat the heir of the Hoshino family, Aki Hoshino, as a student, not as a tool to curry favors with the Hoshino clan".
With those words, he dismissed all the students, instructing them to all go to their classes.
20 minutes later, they arrived at the gate of the academy, "young master" Phineas said, reluctance in his voice, " I'm afraid this is as far as I go", he bowed his head, then turned and left, leaving Aki alone at the gate.
" OK, this is it" he sighed nervously
"Ragnar, wish me luck ?"
Pushing the nervous feeling down, he walked through the gates and headed straight towards the main building. "Welcome, Young master Hoshino " the Grandmaster greeted, a polite smile plastered on his face
Recognizing him, Aki nodded, then asked if he will be heading to class immediately.
"Yes" the Grandmaster, Crimson, nodded," The academy already had your records from 6 years ago, so it was just a matter of updating them, no need for additional paperwork ".
"Now then, let me escort you".
As the two walked, they began chatting along the way, discussing the history of the last 5 years in the academy, as well as his return after his last enrollment date at age 11, "Grandmaster, correct me if I'm wrong but, haven't my classes concluded last year "
The Grandmaster turned, a smile on his face, " It's a special class, you'll see once you get there"
After a few more minutes of waking and climbing stairs, they reached a room with double doors, labeled, 'Class Zero '
"Goodluck young master " the Grandmaster chuckled, turning leaving Aki alone at the door. With determination in his eyes he finally knocked.
Inside the classroom, students continued to gossip, some of them talking about their own business, while others focused on discussing Aki's arrival, "I wonder if he'll also attend class zero" one student whispered, " I wonder if he's as cute in person as he is on camera" another said.
The chatting continued, a before the instructor, " Enough ! " , he snapped, finally losing his patience, but before he could say more, 'knock knock'
"You brats are lucky, he said, opening the door.
"Young Hoshino ?" The man asked, confused, "why was he brought to this class ?" , he thought to himself, but brushed the thought off and moved to let Aki in, as soon as the students saw him, the gasped, some quietly observed, while some shamelessly talked about him right in front of him, "wow, he's actually cute ", one said, causing Aki to blush.
"Take a seat at the front" the instructor said, pointing to an empty desk at the front end of a row. " Is it ok if I take the back seat" Aki prompted, scratching his head.
Everyone turned to stare, shocked, but the instructor simply nodded, then turned back and began writing on the whiteboard.
Aki sat down on a desk at the back of the class, " I never expected someone of you're status to willingly sit back here with us regular folks " the student beside him sneered.
"What do you mean by that ?"
"Exactly as it sounds" the boy said, looking directly at Aki.
Aki raised an eyebrow, " Well, I never believe status dictates character, so i don't care for such", hearing that, the student smiled, "you're strange, Zane Wilson by the way".
"Aki Hoshino "
"Now then, let's begin" the instructor spoke, turning to look at the students, " today's topic is an important one, the SOF "
Hello readers, please note that that this is the first part of the chapter, not the end, it's choose not to continue because I have exceeded the number of words I had intended for the chapter, so I'll have to divide it into two parts
Thank you for stopping by